This invention is directed generally to machines for playing back information previously recorded on tape. The invention is particularly addressed to a system for replaying, in any selected sequence, programs recorded on the tape.
The art has previously proposed a number of ways of altering playback of a recorded tape. According to some proposals, various portions of the tape are skipped during replay so that only designated portions thereof are played back. However, such schemes normally do not permit replay of various tape segments in any desired sequence, and particularly not in a manner in which it is easy for an operator to change the sequence of replay. For the most part, the prior proposals have not permitted an operator to format the replay of the tape so that any portion thereof can be replayed in any sequence.